Measuring What Matters Most

Churches have been counting people in the pews for a while now, and dutifully recording those numbers somewhere. The problem is, tallies tell a story about right now and often reveal nothing more than what you could see by just looking out
over the crowd (or lack thereof). They tell a version of the what, but not the why. And the why is the whole reason behind church metrics.

The Church Metrics Journey: Beyond Attendance and Giving

Church metrics are learned in layers. Like most things in life, it’s a process. We know metrics can be overwhelming—deceptive, even. That’s why we want to encourage churches to get started,
but start at the beginning…by thinking about what could be learned and how that data can drive actions that correct problems or motivate growth.

We call attendance and giving first dimension metrics. They’re easily measurable and provide an ongoing 30,000-foot view of what’s happening. That’s valuable, but to learn the true health of your church, the trends that might need action,
or how to get a reasonable idea of member and attendee spiritual growth, you’ve got to go deeper, to what we call 3D metrics.

Better Church Number-Crunching

The best reasons for churches today to crunch numbers is to assess how they are operating and leading against their goals and mission to grow people spiritually, and discover where and how improvements need to be made. They need to discover
information that isn’t immediately noticeable. They need reliable data and reporting on which to make predictive decisions not only for more efficient operations, but also for the health and true growth of the church and every soul within
their charge.

But, first, they need accurate numbers.

In Measuring What Matters Most, you’ll get a one-page overview of five different areas of data that will help you paint a picture of the health of your church and your members beyond first dimensions: